Computer systems and methods for workflow automation

ABSTRACT

Computer systems and methods are disclosed for improving professional services delivery, such as services in a data management environment. In certain examples, computer systems comprise portals for transmitting and receiving information from parties involved in the performance and receipt of professional services. For instance, a first portal can receive data (e.g., from sales personnel) descriptive of a customer&#39;s product environment. A manager module populates a record with the data, and a second portal provides the customer with access to the record for review, correction and/or validation prior to the generation of a Statement of Work or other like project description. The second portal can also request additional information from the customer regarding the product environment. The manager module compares the data received through the first portal with the customer-entered information to identify and/or address discrepancies between the sets of data and customize the generation of the Statement of Work.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/906,177, entitled “Systems and Methods for Professional Services Automation,” filed Mar. 9, 2007, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to be considered part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate to workflow automation and, in particular, computer systems and methods for professional services management.

2. Description of the Related Art

Professional services automation (“PSA”) applications are often used by organizations whose work is project-based and/or human resource intensive to make their operations more efficient and/or their resources more productive. In general, PSA applications comprise enterprise resource planning software usable by individuals and organizations working in a project-oriented environment. For instance, PSA applications can be used by a company's internal service departments (e.g., IT department) and/or can be beneficial to consultants and organizations providing billable services, such as, for example, accounting services, computer system implementation teams and others. Use of a PSA provides specific organizational value in the reduction of job costs associated with the delivery of consulting services to customers.

Many conventional PSA applications are provider-based and directed to provider-specific workflow issues. For example, certain PSA applications manage professional service provider time, expense and billing reports, while other PSA applications identify to a provider which resources and/or personnel are available for a particular project. Such PSA applications are generally focused on the provider's needs and improving workflow and/or efficiency for one or more established projects.

Moreover, professional service providers must often coordinate projects remote to the provider that are distributed in different geographic regions. Certain companies have attempted to address geographic issues in professional services management by turning to a combination of MICROSOFT Office applications (e.g., OUTLOOK, EXCEL, Word, Project). Such solutions, however, limit information sharing between geographic regions or countries within international organizations. Moreover, the lack of integration of these programs between different regions tends to degrade efficiencies associated with the communication of key data points regarding information gained in the field.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, a need exists for computer systems and methods for providing a systematic approach to the automation of workflow associated with managing professional services delivery. Moreover, a need exists for improved systems and methods for automating service delivery business processes more efficiently. For instance, there is a need for improved professional services automation and project-lifecycle management in the data management area.

For example, there is a need for an improved services management system that obtains customer validation of a pre-sales effort prior to the post-sale deployment of professional services. For instance, computer systems and methods disclosed herein can obtain customer validation of the customer's product environment prior to the generation and performance of a Statement of Work (SOW), a work breakdown structure or the like in order to provide more efficient and accurate professional services tailored to the needs of the customer.

In certain embodiments of the invention, a network (e.g., internet, intranet) accessible computer system is provided that automates the process by which a professional services group and/or individual scopes or defines a professional services project, engages a customer or client, and/or closes each professional services engagement. In certain embodiments, the computer system includes a network accessible interface in the form of one or more web portals accessible by the services provider and/or the customer.

For example, the network accessible interface can comprise a portal having three subsites: a “Pre-Sales Portal,” a “Client Portal,” and a “Post-Deployment Portal.” The portals are then used to collect relevant site data for each project to be delivered by the professional services provider. For instance, the data can be used to ensure that an onsite engineer has information regarding the customer site product configuration, status, and customer expectations necessary to complete the engagement on time and/or at an appropriate level of customer satisfaction. Information regarding the delivery of professional services can also be collected and maintained in a searchable repository post-deployment, which can assist professional services and customer support organizations to better manage relevant details associated with each deployment's successes and/or issues. In certain embodiments, the three subsites are interconnected, enabling workflow automation and transition validation from potential projects, to those that must be scheduled, to those that are completed and then preserved for audit and organizational shared knowledge.

In certain embodiments, a computer system is disclosed for automatically identifying service recommendations for data management environments. The computer system comprises a plurality of records corresponding to a plurality of data storage system environments and a first portal module configured to receive first data regarding a first data storage system of the plurality of data storage system environments, the first data storage system corresponding to a customer. The computer system further comprises a manager module in communication with the first portal module to receive the first data, the manager module being configured populate a first record of the plurality of records with the first data. The computer system also includes a second portal module in communication with the manager module and configured to transmit the first record for review by the customer, the second portal module being further configured to receive validation input from the customer with respect to the first record, wherein, after receiving said validation input, the manager module is further configured to automatically generate a proposed project description of services to be performed with respect to the first data storage system based at least on the first data from the first record.

In certain embodiments, a computer system is disclosed for automating workflow for services in a data management environment. The computer system comprises means for storing records corresponding to a plurality of data storage system environments and means for receiving first data regarding a first data storage system of the plurality of data storage system environments, the first data storage system corresponding to a customer. The computer system also includes means for populating a first record of the plurality of records with the first data and means for providing the customer with access to the first record, said means for providing being further configured to receive validation input from the customer with respect to the first record, wherein, after receiving said validation input, said means for populating is further configured to generate a proposed project description of services to be performed with respect to the first data storage system based at least on the first data of the first record.

In certain embodiments, a method is disclosed for automating workflow in the performance of professional services. The method comprises receiving first data indicative of a product environment of a customer and storing the first data in one or more records. The method further includes providing the customer with access to the one or more records through a network accessible interface and receiving validation from the customer regarding the first data of the one or more records. The method also includes, following said receiving the validation, automatically generating a description of one or more recommended services to be performed with respect to the product environment based at least in part on the validated first data.

For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantages and novel features of the inventions have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a data flow diagram of a workflow automation environment according to certain embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate screenshots of exemplary embodiments of portal pages for facilitating data collection by the pre-sales portal of the workflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a portal page for obtaining project-specific information from a customer by the client portal of the workflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a portal page for obtaining project completion information by the post-deployment portal of the workflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a “Customer Site Visit Report” completed by the field personnel of the workflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate flowcharts of exemplary embodiments of workflow automation processes usable with the workflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In professional services environments, project scope, risk, and site-specific project knowledge are workflow elements that generally require consistency from project concept to project completion. Creation of a common project workflow, per engagement, expedites the transmission of knowledge necessary to scope a project, complete a project and validate the effectiveness of service delivery. In certain embodiments, this expeditious processing of relevant project details substantially decreases the time scales associated with the successful completion of a project thereby reducing per project costs. Whereas certain conventional PSA applications provide some level of pre-sales to post-sales collaboration on project creation and completion, such PSA applications lack means for obtaining customer validation of the pre-sales effort prior to the post-sales deployment. Certain embodiments of the invention address this and other significant drawbacks of conventional PSA applications by including interim validation by the customer of the customer's product environment, which advantageously exposes any gaps between the customer's expectations and the provider's quote of specific professional services before delivery of the services.

Certain embodiments of the invention can also integrate the workflow of a plurality of parties associated with the delivery of professional services, such as those that sell services, those that provide services, and those that receive services. For example, embodiments of the invention can be used to “close the loop” associated with the successful implementation of those services at a customer site. Based on the success of that implementation, secondary systems within the service provider's organization can also become more efficient (e.g., finance department, support department). For example, a stored history of each completed project can be later used by account management teams for reference generation associated with completed projects that match current opportunity requirements, thereby reducing the time to close for sales opportunities.

As disclosed herein, certain embodiments of the invention include a computer system comprising multiple modules, or portals, that obtain information pertaining to the workflow associated with one or more projects. Such portals can comprise network accessible interfaces through which a professional services provider and/or client or customer can input data relating to a particular project. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, a professional services workflow automation process advantageously includes: (1) customer validation of the project scope and deliverables prior to deployment of the associated services, and/or (2) an automated analysis of potential issues within the customer product environment that may impede a successful services engagement, and/or provision of information regarding exception handling relevant to specific projects whereby site specific licensing or services are needed.

Certain embodiments of the invention are advantageously used in connection with professional services relating to data management systems, such as those services and systems provided by CommVault Systems, Inc. (Oceanport, N.J.). For instance, certain embodiments of the invention described herein can be used in connection with CommVault's SIMPANA storage management system or CommVault's QINETIX storage management system, details of which are further included U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/354,058, filed Jul. 15, 1999, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to be considered a part of this specification. In yet other embodiments, the professional services automation system can be used in connection with a modular storage architecture, such as CommVault's GALAXY, which is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, issued Apr. 5, 2006, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to be considered a part of this specification. However, it is contemplated that the inventions disclosed herein may also be applicable to other professional services environments, such as, for example, with hardware deployment, accounting services or the like.

The features of the systems and methods will now be described with reference to the drawings summarized above. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. The drawings, associated descriptions, and specific implementation are provided to illustrate embodiments of the inventions and not to limit the scope of the disclosure.

In addition, methods and functions described herein are not limited to any particular sequence, and the acts or blocks relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described acts or blocks may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple acts or blocks may be combined in a single act or block.

FIG. 1 illustrates a data flow diagram of a workflow automation environment 100, according to certain embodiments of the invention. In particular, embodiments of the workflow automation environment 100 can be used, by a professional services provider to scope a potential project, engage a customer or client, obtain validation of the customer's product environment prior to the sale and/or delivery of professional services, and/or close each professional engagement. Moreover, the workflow automation environment 100 allows for both provider and customer input during multiple stages throughout the workflow automation process.

Embodiments of the workflow automation environment 100 are designed to obtain customer validation of pre-sales input concerning the customer's product environment. Such validation can be advantageously obtained prior to the post-sale deployment of professional services and/or the generation of a Statement of Work or like project scope definition.

As shown, the workflow automation environment 100 comprises a workflow automation system 102 that provides for retrieval, display, and or analysis in connection with the delivery of one or more professional services to a customer. In certain embodiments, the workflow automation system 102 comprises one or modules, such as one or more software programs executable on one or more processors. In certain embodiments, the workflow automation system 102 executes on a single server or a highly available, clustered web environment, such as the corporate web server provided by CommVault Systems, Inc. (Oceanport, N.J.).

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the workflow automation system 102 comprises a plurality of interfaces, or portals, usable to display and obtain information from a plurality of users. In certain embodiments, the plurality of interfaces is used to collect relevant site data for each project to be delivered by the professional services provider. As shown, the illustrated workflow automation system 102 comprises a network accessible portal (e.g., a web portal) that includes three subsites: a pre-sales portal 105, a client portal 110, and a post-deployment portal 115. In certain embodiments, each of the three subsites 105, 110 and 115 is housed on a server. In other embodiments, the subsites can be distributed across multiple servers or like computing devices in network communication with each other and/or one or more common databases for storage of information. Although the workflow automation system 102 is described with reference to multiple portals, it will be understood from the disclosure herein that the system 102 can comprise a single portal accessible through multiple subsites or interfaces.

In certain embodiments, the pre-sales portal 105 receives data regarding a potential sales opportunity for a customer environment. For instance, in certain embodiments, the pre-sales portal 105 receives data from one or more sales personnel 120, or sales engineers, regarding information about a customer's product environment. Such information regarding the product environment in a data management setting can include, for example, the amount of disk memory, the types of storage media, the types of disaster recovery systems, the application(s) running on the customer's computer system, particular services requirement(s), combinations of the same and like information.

In certain embodiments, the pre-sales portal 105 provides the sales personnel 120 with specific questions and/or prompts to obtain the data regarding the customer's product environment. For instance, in certain embodiments, the sales personnel 120 may enter information through the pre-sales portal 105 during an initial meeting with a customer. In addition to the product environment data discussed above, the sales personnel 120 can also obtain and enter data regarding customer contact information, the customer's professional services expectations, customer working hours, combination of the same or the like.

In one example, the pre-sales portal 105 can prompt sales personnel 120 to answer one or more of the following questions or prompts to gather data regarding a customer's data management environment:

-   -   a. What are the customer's expectations with regards to         professional services delivery? (e.g., small deployment,         standard deployment, custom deployment)     -   b. Are there any special events or phases that would require the         services to be broken up into multiple delivery dates? If so,         please describe.     -   c. Please input any specific deadlines (e.g., less than two         weeks, less than 30 days) the customer is trying to meet for         this deployment.     -   d. Please give a description of the environment and architecture         developed during the sales campaign.     -   e. Were there any cost or labor savings targeted for this         deployment? What aspects of the product configuration and design         should the professional services provider focus on?     -   f. Are there any additional comments/instructions that the         professional services provider should know in order to         accurately quote services/achieve customer goals?     -   g. Is the customer deploying new infrastructure components         (network, servers, storage, etc.) that could affect the         scheduling of the deployment? If so, what are the changes and         what are the timelines for the deployment of these components?     -   h. What are the customer's working hours?     -   i. Does the customer have a formal Change Control process? If         so, please describe the process.     -   j. Are reboot windows defined for certain systems?     -   k. Will professional service field personnel have Administrator         access to all the servers to be configured?     -   l. Will the customer assign an administrator to assist the         professional service field personnel?

As will be understood from the disclosure herein, the sales personnel 120 can advantageously access the pre-sales portal 105 from a location remote to the workflow automation system 102, such as at the customer's site. For instance, the sales personnel 120 can be in network communication with the workflow automation system 102 through a personal computer, workstation, laptop, personal digital assistant (PDA), smart phone, cell phone, portable computing device, combinations of the same or the like in order to enter data into the pre-sales portal 105. For example, one or more of the users of the workflow automation system 102 (e.g., sales personnel 120, personnel services manager 125, customer 130, professional services operations personnel 135 and/or field personnel 140) can access one or more of the portals 105, 110, 115 through the use of a browser of an electronic device. In certain embodiments, the user can also enter information through a disconnected browser or other software that later forwards/uploads the pertinent information to the workflow automation system 102. In yet other embodiments, data regarding the customer product environment can be automatically generated based on one or more monitoring applications and/or records of prior projects or services performed in the customer product environment.

For instance, FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate screenshots of exemplary embodiments of portal pages for facilitating data collection by the pre-sales portal 105. In particular, FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a portal page 200 that includes prompts and callouts for facilitating data collection by the pre-sales portal 105. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a portal page 300 that includes free text fields available to gather data defining specific requirements on a per-project basis. It will be understood from the disclosure herein that the pages 200, 300 provide examples of single pages or portions of a page and can be combined with other data entry pages to obtain relevant information regarding the customer's product environment.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, a manager module 117 is in communication with the pre-sales portal 105. In certain embodiments, the manager module 117 receives customer-specific data obtained by the pre-sales portal 105. For instance, in certain embodiments, the data collected by the pre-sales portal 105 is used to populate one or more records 119 pertaining to the specific customer's product environment and/or recommended services relating thereto. In certain embodiments, the manager module 117 maintains the record(s) 119 and updates the information therein, based, at least in part, on information received through the portals 105,110, 115.

As shown, the manager module 117 further communicates with a professional services manager 125. In certain embodiments, the manager module 117 and/or the professional services manager 125 uses the data obtained by the pre-sales portal 105 to scope and/or generate a quote for applicable professional services based on the customer's product environment data. For instance, the manager module 117 can automatically generate a Statement of Work or other professional services project definition, identify potential risks associated with a particular project, create a timeline, estimate costs, combinations of the same or the like.

The client portal 110 also communicates with the manager module 117. In certain embodiments, the client portal 110 advantageously provides a customer 130 access to the workflow automation system 102. For example, the client portal 110 can provide the customer 130 with an opportunity to review data input by the sales personnel 120 (e.g., through access to the record(s) 119), to input additional data relating to the customer's product environment, validate entered data, combinations of the same or the like. In certain embodiments, access by the customer is provided through a uniform resource locator (URL) address sent to the customer 130 by the workflow automation system 102.

In certain embodiments, the customer 130 accesses the client portal 110 at the time the customer 130 is interested in obtaining professional services from the provider. In such embodiments, the customer 130 can be forwarded a summary of the customer product environment information initially input by the sales personnel 120 into the pre-sales portal 105. This advantageously allows the customer 130 to review the product environment data for accuracy and/or completeness before any deployment of services and without the time-consuming process of back-and-forth revising of a particular Statement of Work or like project description.

The client portal 110 can also communicate with the customer 130 to obtain additional details relating to the status of the customer's product environment. For instance, the client portal 110 can provide the customer 130 with one or more questions in order to obtain data on site readiness, customer contact and location information, additional information regarding the scope of deployment, hours of operation of the customer, which libraries are being used by the customer, customer storage preferences (e.g., magnetic disk or tape), other customer preferences, combinations of the same or the like. Such operation of the client portal 110 advantageously allows the customer 130 to use its own words or phrases with respect to its requirements, which language is later used by field personnel 140 to verify that the customer's expectations have been met.

Thus, unlike conventional PSA applications, which are primarily based on details of the service provider personnel and resources, the workflow automation system 102 provides system access to the customer 130 and requests customer feedback and validation. This customer-specific approach and system advantageously enables a service provider to obtain additional customer input and further customize its services early in the workflow automation process, thereby increasing the degree to which one or more projects later scoped or recommended by the provider to the customer will coincide with the customer's expectations.

For instance, FIG. 4 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a portal page for obtaining project-specific information from a customer by the client portal 110. In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates a “Request Manager” portal page 400 that obtains information from the customer with respect to its data management product environment.

The client portal 110 also advantageously provides a validation that quoted or recommended services align with the customer expectations. For instance, in certain embodiments, when discrepancies exist between data received by the pre-sales portal 105 and data received from the customer 130 by the client portal 110, the manager module 117 can automatically note the discrepancies and/or alert the services manager 125 and/or professional services operations personnel 135 for review and/or redress. In certain embodiments, other noteworthy issues related to the customer site based on information received through the client portal 110 can also be recorded and/or communicated to the proper personnel. An example of a portal output that includes site issue automated analysis is illustrated below in Table 1.

TABLE 1 THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN FLAGGED FOR REVIEW: Site #1: MediaAgent #1: Tape/Device Drivers for Backup Targets NOT Installed Site #1: MediaAgent #1: System Mgmt Servers or daemons are running on this server Site #1: Target Device Environment: Separate HBAs NOT used for each connection type (Tape and Disk) Site #1: Target Device Environment: Disk Array is NOT Attached to CommServe/MediaAgent(s) Site #1: Target Device Environment: Disk Targets(s)/Mount Point(s) for the Disk Array have NOT been assigned to the(ir) appropriate servers Site #1: Target Device Environment: Backups WILL BE written to CAS or WORM-locked storage Client/Company: XYZ Company Submitter's E-Mail Address: is_admin@xyz.com Request ID: 10174 Street Address 1234 Any Rd. City Cityname State/Province Statename Zip/Postal Code 99999 Country United States Name John Smith Office Phone 111 123 4567 Cell Phone 111 123 4568 E-Mail Address jsmith@xyz.com Name Mary Jones Studer Office Phone 111 123 4569 Cell Phone N/A E-Mail Address mjones@xyz.com Received CommVault Software Media? Yes To complete this project, the customer's Enterprise requires: Certification of Insurance from CommVault: No Non-Disclosure Agreement from CommVault: No Contractor Badges for CommVault Engineers: No Network Security Statement from CommVault: No CommVault's Engineer(s) Issued Temp Sys Admin Rights? Yes Current Backup Software in the Enterprise? NetWorker Software/Services associated with this project were Reseller: Backup purchased from: Investments CommServe Server Name Commserve CommServe IP Address 123.1.1.1 CommServe Operating System Windows 2003 SP1 CommServe CPU Type 32-bit Intel CommServe CPU Count 1 CommServe RAM 4 GB CommServe Network Connection Multihomed CommServe dedicated to backup operations? Yes This server can be rebooted during business hours? Yes Internet Information Server Installed on this server? Yes Internet Explorer 5.5 (or better) Installed on all Windows Yes Servers? Is CommVault software Currently Installed in Customer's Data No Center(s)? FTP Access Possible from the CommServe? Yes MediaAgent Server Name Mediaagent MediaAgent IP Address 111.1.1.1 MediaAgent Operating System Windows 2003 SP1 MediaAgent CPU Type 32-bit Intel MediaAgent CPU Count 2 MediaAgent RAM 8 GB MediaAgent Network Connection Multihomed MediaAgent dedicated to backup operations? Yes This server can be rebooted during business hours? Yes Tape/Device Drivers for Backup Targets Installed? No Systems Mgmt Services or daemons running on this server? Yes Is there a firewall between this server and the CommServe? No MediaAgent Clustered? No Targets for Backup Ops for this Project Installed and Working? Yes Support Contracts in place for Target Hardware? Yes Will Copies of Backups be Made for Offsite Storage? Yes How will MediaAgents attach to targets? SCSI HBA Manufacturer Used for Connection to Targets: Other Separate HBAs used for each connection type? (Disk or Tape) No Backups Written to Tape? Yes Number of Tape Drives Used for Backup & Recovery: 2 Type(s) of Tape Drives to be Used: LTO3 Labeled Tapes in the Library? Yes Library Manufacturer/Vendor: HP Library Model Number/Designation: 6030 MediaAgent(s) at this site will be writing to the Tape Library: Backups Written to Disk? Yes Disk Array Attached to CommServe/MediaAgent(s)? No Target Disk for Backups Regularly Defragmented? Yes Disk target(s)/mount point(s) for the disk array been assigned No to the(ir) appropriate servers? How large are the disk target(s)/mount point(s) for backup? Awaiting delivery of disk arrays Snapshots Used for Disk-Based Backup in the Enterprise? No How many days of backup will be maintained on disk? one week Should images on disk also be copied to tape for offsite Yes storage? Enterprise Disk Environment Includes NAS Storage? Yes NAS Storage Backup Method: shares NAS Manufacturer: NetApp Backups written to CAS/WORM-locked storage? No MediaAgent(s) at this site will be writing to the Tape Library: The following quantities of platforms will be part of this project: Windows 2000/2003: 60 Sun Solaris: 4 Linux RedHat: 10 Apple Macintosh: 3 Anti-Virus Software Running on the Client Systems? Yes Anti-Virus Software Vendor: Symantec Firewalls Separate the Client Systems from the CommServe/ No MediaAgent(s)? Completing Remote (WAN-based) Backups of Client Systems No to the CommServe/MediaAgent(s)? Client Network Connections: Gigabit Ethernet Completing online database backups of Microsoft Exchange? No Completing online database backups of Oracle? Yes RMAN Currently Used for 3rd Party Backups of Oracle? Yes Oracle Version(s): Oracle DBA onsite that will be accessible to the CommVault No engineer during the project? RCAT DB and RMAN Catalog Already Created? No Oracle on a Cluster? No Are the ORA Target Databases in ‘archivelog’ mode? No Are all ORA Databases known/registered in tnsnames.ora? No Network Authentication Enabled for the Databases that will be No completing backup? Oracle is running on Linux? No Completing online database backups of SAP? No Completing online database backups of Microsoft SQL Yes Server? SQL Server Version: SQL 7, SQL 2000 What tool is used currently to complete backups of SQL 3rd Party Backup Server? Tool SQL Server Clustered? No Completing online database backups of Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server? No Completing online database backups of Lotus Notes? No Completing online database backups of Novell GroupWise? No Completing online database backups of dB2? No

As can be seen, Table 1 provides an example of a completed report that can be sent (e.g., automatically) to the services manager 125, field personnel 140, and/or field engineers for review after receiving input from the customer 130. In certain embodiments, the report includes a list of items that have been identified as potential risks or problems and/or specifies the project scope prior to the generation of a Statement of Work or like project definition.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the customer input prior to the delivery of the particular service(s) advantageously addresses an “expectation gap,” which often exists in conventional PSA applications, between the services scoped and sold by the professional services provider and the services expected by the customer. As discussed above, such timing of obtaining the customer input advantageously allows for early comparison with the recommended services scoped from the product environment data gathered by the pre-sales portal 105.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the manager module 117 communicates with the post-deployment portal 115. In certain embodiments, the post-deployment portal 115 provides an interface from the workflow automation system 102 to the field personnel 140. For example, the post-deployment portal 115 can allow the field personnel to access (e.g., read and/or modify) the record(s) 119 maintained by the manager module 117. In certain embodiments, the data in the record(s) 119 can be used to ensure that field personnel 140, such as one or more onsite engineers, have necessary and/or relevant information regarding the customer site configuration, status, and/or customer expectations to complete a particular project on time and at an appropriate level of customer satisfaction.

The post-deployment portal 115 can also receive additional information from field personnel 140 at the completion of a phase of work associated with the recommended professional services. For instance, the post-deployment portal 115 can advantageously obtain data regarding the status of the project at the final day of onsite work, any issues associated with the site deployment/software, the next steps in the project for an account management group, combinations of the same or the like.

For instance, FIG. 5 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a portal page for obtaining project completion information by the post-deployment portal 115. In particular, FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary “Trip Report Manager” portal page 500 usable to create a report after the completion of a particular project. As shown, the portal page 500 includes data relating to time management (calendaring), support escalations (trouble reports management), work completed detail and relevant site licensing information.

FIG. 6 further illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a “Customer Site Visit Report” 600 completed by the field personnel 140. In particular, the post-project report 600 requests data that relates to completion of the project and a project survey analysis. The report 600 also allows the field personnel 140 to identify any required follow-up actions with respect to the project.

In certain embodiments, when the post-deployment portal 115 has completed gathering information, a project customer satisfaction survey can be sent to the customer 130 (e.g., automatically via email). In yet other embodiments, the customer 130 can complete the survey through access to the client portal 110. In certain embodiments, a completion notice can also be sent to the manager module 117 and/or the services manager 125 when the customer 130 completes the survey. In yet further embodiments, through the automation of customer satisfaction analysis, post-deployment, the following advantages can be achieved: (1) days sales outstanding (DSO) is reduced as the account receivables department has access to verification that projects were successfully concluded; and (2) support tap out rates for maintenance can be reduced as a complete deployment history regarding the project is accessible to the service provider.

As will be appreciated, FIGS. 2-6 present examples of pages that may be used throughout a professional services automation process and should not be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Rather, in other embodiments, other or additional pages or means for gathering or displaying data can be used to collect or display more or less data than what is shown in FIGS. 2-6.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a workflow automation process 700 usable with the workflow automation environment 100 of FIG. 1, according to certain embodiments of the invention. In certain embodiments, the process 700 can be used by a professional services provider to generate a comprehensive history of a project's lifecycle. Moreover, the process 700 advantageously utilizes means for obtaining customer input prior to the post-sale deployment of professional services.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the workflow automation process 700 is divided into three stages. In general, Stage 1 includes receiving and analyzing data to set up or scope a particular project based on product environment information received from the customer's site. Stage 2 comprises comparing what services are recommended based on data from Stage 1 and what the customer expects as define in data received directly from the customer. Stage 2 further comprises presenting to professional services management personnel relevant issues for analysis and review as automatically identified based on the above-described comparison and any additional information received from the customer. Finally, Stage 2 provides the customer with an opportunity to validate the data obtained in Stage 1. Stage 3 represents the closure, or completion, of the project and provides a narrative of the deployment. This third stage can also be used to account for any issues associated with the project that would impact revenue through loss of recognition capability or dragging customer satisfaction issues. In certain embodiments, access to information gathered in this stage can also be provided to financial personnel to perform, for example, an audit of completed work to validate services revenue.

For ease of explanation, the workflow automation process 700 will be described with reference to the modules of the workflow automation environment 100 of FIG. 1. In particular, the workflow automation process 700 begins at Block 705, wherein the pre-sales portal 105 receives data regarding a sale opportunity. For instance, the data can be collected by sales personnel 120 at a potential customer's site and input and/or transmitted to the pre-sales portal 105. In certain embodiments, this data advantageously includes information regarding the customer's product environment, as is discussed in more detail above.

At Block 710, the data is forwarded to the manager module 117 and/or the services manager 125. For instance, the data can be used to populate one or more records 119 maintained by the manager module 117. After analyzing the data, a quote for recommended services is generated based on the customer's product environment (Block 715).

At Block 720, the client portal 110 provides the customer 130 with an opportunity to review the record(s) 119 based on the data input by the sales personnel 120 and to receive additional data and/or comments from the customer 130 (Block 720). At Block 725, the manager module 117 compares the customer data with the recommended services and alerts the services manager 125 or other professional services personnel 135 of any discrepancies (Block 730).

Once the recommended services are inline with the customer's expectations, the appropriate project description (e.g., Statement of Work, work breakdown) is finalized and field personnel 140 are deployed to the customer site to perform the professional services. At Block 735, the post-deployment portal 115 receives data from the field personnel 140 regarding the completion of a phase of work. This data is then forwarded to the manager module 117 for updating the appropriate record(s) 119 (Block 740). This stored data obtained through each of the portals is then advantageously available for future reference and analysis to improve the delivery of subsequent professional services.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a workflow automation process 800 that provides for customer validation of pre-sales efforts prior to post-sales deployment of professional services. For ease of explanation, the workflow automation process 800 will be described with reference to the modules of the workflow automation environment 100 of FIG. 1.

The process 800 begins with Block 805, wherein the pre-sales portal 105 receives data regarding a customer product environment and/or services requirements. For instance, in a data management environment, such data can be input by sales personnel 120 of a professional services provider and relate to, for example, the type of storage being performed (e.g., backup, replication, archive), the types and amount of storage media, the number of computers or servers, the amount of data involved, available recovery systems, combinations of the same or the like.

At Block 810, the pre-sales portal 105 forwards the product environment data to the manager module 117, which populates one or more records 119 (Block 815). At Block 820, the workflow automation system 100 provides the customer 130 with access to the record(s) 119 through the client portal 110. For instance, the workflow automation system 102 (e.g., the client portal 110 or the manager module 117) can provide a URL address to the customer 130, which allows the customer access, such as secure access, to the appropriate record(s) 119. At this point, the customer 130 is prompted to review the product environment data input by the pre-sales personnel 120 for accuracy and/or completeness. Also, the customer portal 110 may prompt the customer 130 for additional details regarding the client's product work environment and/or professional services requirements.

If the customer does not validate the data (Block 825), the client portal 110 receives corrected and/or additional data concerning the product environment through the client portal 110 (Block 830). The manager module 117 then updates the appropriate record(s) 119 with the corrected and/or additional data (Block 835). After updating the records, the process 800 returns to Block 820 to provide the customer access to the updated record(s) 119.

In certain embodiments, if the customer 130 fails to respond to the workflow automation system 102 request for validation (Block 820) in a timely manner, the manager module 117 can alert the professional services operations personnel 135. Professional services operations personnel 135 can then proactively use the manager module 117 to automatically generate a reminder notification, which is automatically transmitted to the customer 130 to assist in resuming the workflow automation process 100.

If at Block 825 the customer validates the data representing its product environment, the manager module 117 and/or manager 125 generates a Statement of Work or like project description, which can be followed by a deployment of corresponding professional services. Thus, the process 800 provides that the generated Statement of Work or like project description is based on a customer-validated description of the applicable project environment.

Although the workflow automation processes 700 and 800 have been described with reference to particular arrangements, it will be understood from the disclosure herein that other embodiments of the processes 700, 800 can vary from the flowcharts depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8. For example, in certain embodiments, the workflow automation process 700 further automatically generate one or more Statements of Work, task workflows, work breakdown structure, statement of task or other project descriptions that are reviewed and validated by the client prior to being sent to the services manager 125 for approval and execution.

Moreover, in certain embodiments, the data collected through the portals 105, 110 and 115 regarding the delivery of services can be maintained in a searchable repository, such as one or more databases, post deployment. Such data can be later used in assisting professional services and/or customer support organizations to better manage relevant details associated with each deployment's successes and/or issues. Moreover, the stored data can also be mined by the professional services provider for reference information and additional sales opportunities.

In certain embodiments, the history of the completed project, as collected through each of the portals 105, 110, 115 provides data points that can be used to scope other projects of a similar nature within certain regions or geographies. Such embodiments can be advantageously used to further create a more extensible services organization through information sharing.

For instance, the data collected through portals 105, 110, 115 can further be used to form a knowledge base identifying projects as “successful” or “unsuccessful.” Such information can be later accessed by the services provider to streamline its offerings, focusing on those deployments that generate the largest degree of success and scale. This information can also be used by sales personnel to compile lists of customers, through the contemporaneous capture of detail about each completed project, that may function as references for new sales.

Although certain embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it is contemplated that other embodiments of workflow automation systems can also be used without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. For example, in certain embodiments of the invention, the workflow automation system 102 can provide a series of logical gates associated with “inbound” services opportunities, logically separating these opportunities into two categories: (1) staff augmentation services (e.g., services that do not require a Statement of Work, advanced design validation and/or specific risk analysis to ensure the success of services delivery); and (2) project-based services (e.g., services that generally require advanced analysis of the opportunity to ensure that the project is delivered in a manner that is deemed successful to the end user recipient of the services).

Systems and modules described herein can comprise software, firmware, hardware, or any combination(s) of software, firmware, or hardware suitable for the purposes described herein. Software and other modules can reside on servers, workstations, personal computers, computerized tablets, PDAs, and other devices suitable for the purposes described herein. Software and other modules can be accessible via local memory, via a network, via a browser, or via other means suitable for the purposes described herein. Data structures described herein can comprise computer files, variables, programming arrays, programming structures, or any electronic information storage schemes or methods, or any combinations thereof, suitable for the purposes described herein. User interface elements described herein can comprise elements from graphical user interfaces, command line interfaces, and other interfaces suitable for the purposes described herein.

Embodiments of the invention are also described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems and computer program products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. 

1. A computer system for automatically identifying service recommendations for data management environments, the computer system comprising: a plurality of records corresponding to a plurality of data storage system environments of a plurality of customers; a first portal module configured to receive first data regarding a first data storage system of the plurality of data storage system environments, the first data storage system corresponding to a customer of the plurality of customers; a manager module in communication with the first portal module to receive the first data, the manager module being configured populate a first record of the plurality of records with the first data; and a second portal module in communication with the manager module and configured to transmit the first record for review by the customer, the second portal module being further configured to receive validation input from the customer with respect to the first record, and wherein, after receiving said validation input, the manager module is further configured to automatically generate a proposed project description of services to be performed with respect to the first data storage system based at least on the first data from the first record.
 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the second portal module is further configured to receive second data from the customer pertaining to the first data storage system.
 3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the manager module is further configured to compare the first data received by the first portal module and the second data received by the second portal module, the manager module being further configured to transmit an alert identifying discrepancies between the first data and the second data.
 4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second portal modules comprises a web-based interface.
 5. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a third portal module configured to receive second input regarding completion of the services performed with respect to the first data storage system.
 6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the first, second and third portal modules operate on a single server.
 7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the manager module is further configured to identify one or more aspects of the first data storage system needing additional description from the customer.
 8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the project description comprises a Statement of Work.
 9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first data is indicative of a storage architecture of the first data storage system.
 10. A computer system for automating workflow for services in a data management environment, the computer system comprising: means for storing records corresponding to a plurality of data storage system environments; means for receiving first data regarding a first data storage system of the plurality of data storage system environments, the first data storage system corresponding to a customer; means for populating a first record of the plurality of records with the first data; means for providing the customer with access to the first record, said means for providing being further configured to receive validation input from the customer with respect to the first record, and wherein, after receiving said validation input, said means for populating is further configured to generate a proposed project description of services to be performed with respect to the first data storage system based at least on the first data of the first record.
 11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said means for transmitting is further configured to receive additional input from the customer prior to said generation of the proposed project description.
 12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the additional input comprises corrections to the first data in the first record.
 13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said means for populating is further configured to identify discrepancies between the first data and the additional input.
 14. A method for automating workflow in the performance of professional services, the method comprising: receiving first data indicative of a product environment of a customer; storing the first data in one or more records; providing the customer with access to the one or more records through a network accessible interface; receiving validation input from the customer regarding the first data of the one or more records; and following said receiving the validation input, automatically generating a description of one or more recommended services to be performed with respect to the product environment based at least in part on the validated first data.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the product environment comprises a data management environment.
 16. The method of claim 14, additionally receiving completion data regarding the performance of the one or more recommended services.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving first data further comprises receiving the first data from a remote location over a network.
 18. The method of claim 14, additionally comprising receiving from the customer second data indicative of the product environment following said providing the customer with access to the one or more records.
 19. The method of claim 18, additionally comprising comparing said first and second data.
 20. The method of claim 19, additionally comprising issuing an alert when one or more discrepancies exist between the first and second data. 